After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Mr. Chen poured him a bowl of water. De Ge sat down and said, "We just finished harvesting too. The people we hired were faster, so we finished around the same time as you. I wanted to ask, when do you harvest your fruit?"

Chen Xiaohe said, "We plan to harvest the fruit after drying it. We'll sell the good ones at the shop, and keep the ones that aren't as good for ourselves or to make dried fruit or preserves."

Brother De nodded, then asked, "Do you hire people to pick fruit? We have many fruit trees, so we need to hire people. We're all from the same village, so it's not good to have two different prices. I wanted to ask about the market rate here."

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Chen said, "We have enough hands in our family, so we won't hire anyone. There aren't many fruits, so we can pick them ourselves. If you need to hire someone, just pay the autumn harvest price, twenty coins a day, including food. We're all from the same village, so this price is fair."

Brother De understood the situation and then asked about the sales channels for the fruit: "If you sell your fruit in the shop, will you be able to sell it all? We have many fruit trees and a large yield, so the shop alone probably won't be enough."

Mr. Chen said, "Our shop is small, and we only sell our own produce, which is enough for our needs. Your family has a larger production volume, so you could consider contacting caravans. Sell the good fruit to the caravans, and then sell the rest in your shop. Didn't you contact a caravan last year, Brother De?"

Brother De nodded: "Yes, we contacted them last year, but they only accept the best-looking fruit. We'll see this year; if the fruit is good, we'll contact them again." He stood up and said, "Okay, Uncle Chen, I understand. I'll be going now; you guys keep busy."

After seeing De Ge off, the family continued their meal. Father Chen said, "De Ge is a shrewd man, even more so than his father. His family has many fruit trees and a large yield, so dealing with the caravans is the right thing to do. Our family's yield is small; the shop can handle it, so we don't need to worry about that."

Chen Dashan said, "Dad is right. Let's just focus on growing our crops well and selling them properly. We'll take it slow and not rush things."

----

Three or four days later, all of the Chen family's grain had been dried and bagged into the cellar.

Standing at the cellar entrance, Chen's father looked at the neatly stacked grain sacks inside, calculating this year's harvest. The drought before the autumn harvest had reduced the crop yield considerably compared to previous years, but fortunately, they still had last year's grain at home. Together, it would be enough to feed the family for two years. Feeling more at ease, he closed the cellar door and returned to the yard.

Chen Dashan was sharpening his sickle, preparing to store it for next year. His father sat down beside him, took a puff of his pipe, and said, "Dashan, this year's grain harvest is a bit less than usual, but with the stored grain, it's enough for our family to eat for two years. I'm thinking, should we take some of the grain to the general store to sell?"

Chen Dashan put down his sickle, thought for a moment, and said, "Dad, I'm thinking of waiting a bit longer for the grain. Let's see how things are this winter. Xiaohe said today that the fruit on the mountain is almost ready, so I'm thinking of selling the fruit first and waiting for the grain."

Father Chen nodded and tapped his pipe: "Alright, we'll do it your way. Fruit is fresh and won't keep, so we have to sell it quickly. Grain can be stored, so there's no rush."

He turned to Chen Xiaohe and asked, "Xiaohe, can we pick apples tomorrow?"

Chen Xiaohe was squatting in the yard playing with the puppy when he heard his father ask. He stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and said, "It's ready. I went up the mountain today and saw that the apples are red, the persimmons are yellow, and the pears are so ripe they'll fall off if you touch them. If we don't pick them soon, they'll rot on the trees."

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Chen said, "Then let's pick some tomorrow and take them to the shop to sell. We're not in a hurry to sell the persimmons. Let's bring them all back and have your mother make dried persimmons. This year, we'll make all the persimmons into dried persimmons and sell them at the shop. It's more profitable than selling fresh persimmons."

Chen's mother, who was sewing shoe soles nearby, looked up when she heard this: "Alright, I'm good at making persimmon cakes. Make more this year, last year's amount wasn't enough to sell."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing were also nearby. Su Xiaoqing said with a smile, "Mom, we'll help you peel and string the persimmons. You just need to give us directions."

Chen's mother smiled: "Okay, you two are skillful, helping me will make things much faster."

And so it was settled. Early the next morning, Chen's mother drove a mule cart to the county town to set up a stall, while Su Xiaoqing took the four children to open a general store. The four children were already used to this rhythm. In the courtyard behind the store, Shitou led his younger siblings to play quietly, while Su Xiaoqing sold goods in front, checking on them every now and then, and felt at ease.

Su Xiaoyin stayed at home. She dried the vegetables in the yard, chopped the radishes into strips, and shredded the pickled mustard greens, spreading them on a bamboo mat. She also fed the pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese, adding food and water. After finishing these tasks, she shouldered her basket and headed up the mountain.

This autumn, fewer villagers went up the mountain to gather wild produce than in previous years. With reduced grain production, those better off didn't need the snacks and left what they found on the mountain for those who needed it more. Su Xiaoyin walked along the mountain path and encountered several villagers, all from less affluent families, carrying baskets on their backs and hunched over, searching in the woods. They greeted each other briefly and then went their separate ways, no one crowding around the others.

Su Xiaoyin wandered around the woods, digging up a lot of wild onions and garlic, intending to make pickled vegetables with them when she got back. She also saw several medicinal herbs, including Bletilla striata and Bupleurum chinense, which she dug up, wrapped in grass leaves, and put in her basket. There weren't many autumn mushrooms; after searching for a long time, she only found a small handful, which she also collected.

Seeing that it was getting late, she carried her basket down the mountain.

When they got home, the yard was already piled with things. The apples were bright red, the persimmons were golden yellow, and there was a bunch of walnuts, all picked by Chen's father and his family from the mountain. Chen Xiaohe was squatting on the ground sorting through the fruit, separating the bruised and less-than-perfect ones and setting them aside.

Su Xiaoyin put down her basket and went over to look at it: "So many? How many did you pick?"

Chen Xiaohe looked up, smiled, and said, "Not much, just picked a few to try. My brother said to see how it sells at the shop first, and if it sells well, we'll pick more tomorrow."

Su Xiaoyin nodded and then asked, "Has lunch been made?"

Mr. Chen came out of the house and waved his hand, "No rush, we're back early today. You should rest for a while."

Chen Dashan came out of the cellar and said, "Dad, let's put the things in the cellar first. We can dry the walnuts in the yard, but the apples, pears, and persimmons will stay fresh in the cellar."

The father and his two sons carried apples, pears, and persimmons into the cellar, and spread walnuts out on a bamboo mat in the yard to dry. Chen Xiaohe washed a few apples, cut them into pieces, and shared them with everyone.

Mr. Chen picked up a petal, took a bite, chewed slowly, and nodded: "It tastes good, sweet and sour, and crisp. If we take it to the shop, someone will definitely want it."

Chen Dashan also tasted a segment: "Hmm, it's sweeter than last year. This year's drought has actually made the fruit sweeter."

Su Xiaoyin took a slice, took a bite, and it was indeed delicious. The apple wasn't big, but it was flavorful, sweet and sour, and every bite was bursting with juice.